Sprinkler tank equipment.



R. J. MANSFIELD.

SPRINKLER TANK EQUIPMENT.

APPLICATIQN FILED AUG.27. 1915.

,227,287. Patented May 22, 1917.

I WITNESSES:

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ROYAL J. MANSFIELD, OF NEW" YORK, N. Y.

SPRINKLER TANK EQUIPMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 22, 1917.

- Application filed August 27, 1915. Serial No. 47,643.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROYAL J. MANSFIELD, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sprinkler Tank Equipments; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to tank equipments adapted for use with sprinkler systems and the like. It pertainsmore particularly to certain new and useful combinations and arrangements of the tanks usually em ployed in such systems, comprising the gravity tank and pressure tank with their piping, and the devices associated therewith for supporting the gravity tank, and also an inclosure for protecting the pressure tank and piping againstfreezing and the action of the elements.

More specifically my improvement is especially adapted to that type of tank equipment for sprinkler systems in which a sys tem of water pipes is employed, distributed throughout the building to be protected. The pipes are equipped with sprinkler heads adapted to sprinkle water over the space to be served in event of fire. The water pipes are supplied with water from two independent sources--first, a closed tank, termed in the art a pressure tank, and second, an elevated tank, designated the gravity tank. The pressure tank normally contains water, which partly fills the tank, and compressed air, by which the water may be forced from the tank into the pipes of the sprinkler system.

The gravity tank is normally filled with water, and is adapted to discharge its contents by gravity into the pipes of the sprinkler system. The pressure tank and the gravity tanks are thus connected so as to deliver water independently of each other to the sprinkler pipes.

v The usual practice is to first use the water contained in the pressure tank, the water being forced into the pipe system by the air pressure. When thewater is exhausted and the pressure is sufficiently reduced in the pressure tank, the water of the gravity tank is let into the system. Thus if either tank is empty or out of commission the water in the other tank may beutilized.

Such a system of pressure and gravity tanks is known as a two-source tank system. When in commission its operation is lndependent of any mechanical auxiliaries, such as pumps or air compressors. Such auxiliaries, while commonly employed to supply the water and air, are not apart of my present improvement. The source of heat employed for warming the inolosure and the water in the tanks is also immaterial inclosure to be utilized for warming the bottom of the gravity tank, thereby reducing the cost of heating and the danger of freezing the contents of the gravity tank, and also preventing the formation of icicles around it. Risk of damage to the roof or skylights of the building by falling icicles is thus avoided.

My improved arrangement of pressure and gravity tanks also renders it possible and convenient to utilize the pressure tank as a supporting structure for the gravity tank. I attain this result without materially increasing the weight, cost or structural strength of the pressure tank beyond .what is normally required in practice to enable it to withstand its usual internal pressure.

Still further objects of my invention are to so combine and construct the pressure and gravity tanks and their associated apparatus as to reduce the cost of up-keep and to enable the piping to be concealed, protected loo tional elevation of a pressure tank, with a gravity tank located above and supported fied arrangement in which the frost-proof inclosure for the pressure tank is provided with a floor separate from the roof of the building, the inclosure also having a roof independent of the gravity tank, but im mediately beneath it. 7 r

In the drawings, A designates the gravity tank, B the pressure tank, and C an inclosure surrounding the pressure tank, the

inclosure being of any suitable frost-resisting construction, and adapted to protect the tank and piping against freezing or injury.

D designates the floor of the balcony for the gravity tank, and E is a supporting frame of structural steel or like material. F represents the roof of a building, the

I platform of a tower, or other supporting structure on which a sprinkler tank outfit may be installed.

Gr designatessuitable supporting columns and framework to carry the Weight of the gravity tank independently of the pressure tank B.

The pipes used to operate the system in the customary manner are indicated by the letter K. i

As is clearly shown in the drawings, the principal parts employed in the combination comprising myinvention are the pres sure tank B, which is preferably of the usual elongated cylindrical type, supported upright on any suitable support as the roof F of a building, or a frame E; a gravity tank located directly above the pressure tank, and the frost-resisting inclosure C that surrounds the pressure tank. The roof of i the inclosure may be formed by the bottom of gravity tank A, as in Fig. 1, or partly by the bottom of the gravity tank and partly by the balcony D, as in Figs. 2 and 3, but in many cases the bottom of the climates.

its elevated position above the pressure tank in any suitable manner, as by the frame G or its equivalents, independently of the pressure tank B. I prefer, however, to utilize the pressure tank B as the supporting structure to carry tank A in any suitable manner, as in Figs. 2 and 3. By this means I greatly simplify the structure, avoiding the use of small structural shapes on separate, supports with their uncertain factors of safety and liability of corrosion at the joints. I have also found in practice that the cost, weight and strength of tank B need notbe materially increased to adapt it to support tank A. The internal pressure in tank B tends to lift the upper head, while the weight of the gravity tank A acts downward, and these forces tend to neutralize each other in their effect on the shell of the pressure tank. Any internal pressure greater than about ten pounds per square inch in tank B will carryithe tank loads without prodl'icing any stresses in the shell of tank B, and consequently the thickness of the shell need not be increased to take care of the extra vertical loadof tank A.

Thus by utilizing the pressure tank as a means of support for the gravity tank I am enabled to greatly simplify the construction, increase the stability and prolong the life of sprinkler tank sets. I

By including the lower part of the gravity tank within the inclosure, so as to form a part of, or the entire roof of the frostresisting inclosure C, I utilize the warmth of the pressure tank inclosure to warm the bottom of the gravity tank and thereby reduce the risk of freezing either of the tanks, 7 In practice I prefer to place all the usual connecting pipes K within the inclosure, 7

and in instances where it is desirable to support the gravity tank independently, that 1s, separate from tank B, as in Fig.1, I prefer to place all the supporting framework G within the inclosure. V

The gravity tank may be made round or square, or of any other desired shape, and of any suitable material. may be of any desired shape, and in construction and finish may be adapted to the style of architecture of the building.

lVhile I have shown and described a sprinkler tank'set consisting of one pressure tank and one gravity tank it' will be A Y understood that a plurality/of pressure tanks, or a plurality of gravity tanks, or both, may be employed without departing from my invention.

The pressure tank with its inclosure, and the gravity tank located above and carried by the pressure tank, together with their piping, constitutes a complete self-contained and satisfactory unit suited for use in cold It is, however, sometimes desirable in warm climates to omit thefrost- The inclosure I proof inclosure, and in such instances I prefer to employ the pressure tank and the superposed gravity tank and their piping without a frost-proof inclosure.

I have described my invention as applied to a sprinkler system such as is commonly used for fire protection, but it is also adapted to any other uses Where pressure and gravity tanks are employed in a similar manner.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

and conduits within said inclosure, said con-' 1. A tank. equipment for two-source sprinkler systems comprising in combination, a pressure tank adapted to contain liquid under more than atmospheric pressure, a frost-resisting inclosure surrounding the pressure tank, a gravity tank located above said pressure tank and forming part of said inclosure, and conduits connecting said tanks with the pipes of the sprinkler system. V

2. A tank equipment for two-source sprinder systems comprising in combination, a pressure tank adapted to contain liquid under more than atmospheric pressure, a frostresisting inclosure'surrounding the pressure tank and spaced apart therefrom, a gravity tank located above said pressure tank, said gravity tank formlng part of sa1d inclosure,

tank forming part ofsaid inclosure, and conduits connecting the pressure tank and the gravity tank with the pipes of the sprinkler system.

, 4. A tank equipment for two-source sprinkler systems comprising in combination, a

pressure tank adapted to contain liquid under more than atmospheric pressure, a gravity tank located above and in proximity to .said pressure tank, the pressure tank supporting said gravity tank, an inclosure around said pressure tank, and piping within the inclosure connecting said tanks with the sprinkler system.

5. A tank equipment vertically disposed pressure tank adapted to contain liquid under more than atmospheric pressure, a gravity tank located above said pressure tank, the weight of said gravity tank supported by the shell of said pressure tank, whereby the compressive stresses produced in the shell of the pressure tank by the weight of the gravity tank and its contents are offset in part by tensile stresses produced in the shell of the pressure tank by for two-source sprinkler systems comprlsing 1n comblnatlon, a

the pressure within it, and conduits adapted to connect either the pressure tank or the gravity tank with the pipes of the sprinkler system.

6. A tank equipment for two-source sprinkler systems comprising in combination, a

vertically disposed pressure tank adapted to contain liquid under more than atmospheric pressure, a gravity tank located above said pressure tank, and supporting means interposed between the gravity tank and pressure tank, the weight of said gravity tank supported by the shell of said pressure tank,

whereby the compressive stresses produced in the shell of the pressure tank by the weight of the gravity tank are offset in part by tensile stresses produced in the shell of the pressure tank by the pressure within it,

and conduits adapted to connect either the pressuretank or the gravity tank with the pipes of the sprinkler system.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

ROYAL J. MANSFIELD. Witnesses:

J. s. Bay, A. K. DENK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. c. 

